Virginia Episcopal School - Summer Reading List 2021

REQUIRED SUMMER READING 1. A ll VES students must read “Franny and Zooey” by J.D. Salinger (see the first book on the list below). The book will be the subject of the first unit of all English classes.

2. Each student also must choose one of the six books on the following pages to read over the summer. We want you to enjoy your summer reading, so you will find a wide variety of books on our list. Choose something interesting to you! Discussion groups based on your book choice will take place on the first day of school.

ALL-SCHOOL READ FRANNY AND ZOOEY BY J.D. SALINGER “Everything everybody does is so—I don’t know—not wrong, or even mean, or even stupid necessarily. But just so tiny and meaningless and—sad-making. And the worst part is, if you go bohemian or something crazy like that, you’re conforming just as much only in a different way.” This book is actually two short novellas by the master of teenage angst. Frustrated with her boyfriend, and feeling disconnected from the world around her, Franny casts around for help. Will she find it in religion? In the love and support she gets from her family? How can she find a way to be her authentic self? Salinger brilliantly captures the struggles we have as teenagers and young adults as we hope to understand ourselves and our world better.

CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING BOOKS ANTHEM BY AYN RAND Have you ever thought of getting burned alive just because you said a word that your society prohibits? The book Anthem will show you what that word is and why it is so important. The main character, Equality 7-2521, is an individual who actively tries to find this word and its true meaning. This is a book that will remind you of the value of things that you thought were not so meaningful and will make you to re-evaluate the current society that we live in. If you want to experience a new perspective and finish a quick enjoyable summer reading, Anthem is perfect for you.

- Brian Kwon ’23

MY INVENTIONS AND OTHER WRITINGS BY NIKOLA TESLA Penguin Classics Version Croatian genius Nikola Tesla wrote several reflections of his life, experiences and thoughts, collected in My Inventions and Other Writings. It is a rare opportunity where a world-changing man offers a behind-the-scenes look at how he thinks and works. Why should you read about Tesla? Because he walked 8-10 miles every day and slept only two hours at a time. He once spent more than $2,000 to fix an injured pigeon, he spoke eight languages, and was friends with Mark Twain. In 1912, he planned to make students more intelligent by saturating them unconsciously with electricity. He wanted to wire the walls of a schoolroom with millions of volts of infinitesimal electric waves vibrating at high frequency. The whole room would be converted into a health-giving and stimulating electromagnetic field or ‘bath.” The plan was, at least provisionally, approved by then superintendent of New York City schools.

– Mr. Seldar & Mr. Knebel

BAND OF BROTHERS BY STEPHEN AMBROSE As good a rifle company as any, Easy Company, 506th Airborne Division, US Army, kept getting tough assignments—responsible for everything from parachuting into France early DDay morning to the capture of Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest at Berchtesgaden. In Band of Brothers, Ambrose tells of the men in this brave unit who fought, went hungry, froze and died, a company that took 150% casualties and considered the Purple Heart a badge of office. Drawing on hours of interviews with survivors as well as the soldiers’ journals and letters, Ambrose recounts the stories, often in the men’s own words, of these American heroes.

– Mr. Rivenburgh

THE STARLESS SEA BY ERIN MORGENSTERN The Starless Sea tells the epic adventure of Zachary Ezra Rawlins, who is called out of his ordinary existence as a graduate student studying video game design when he finds a book including a very specific event from his childhood that only he would remember.

Using the books inscribed secret symbols, a bee, a key and a sword, he sets out to find the origins of the book, which eventually leads him to this curious underground library. While there, he realizes many want to protect this ancient space, but others want its destruction. What side of this game-like conflict will Zachary choose? The Starless Sea is a captivating read for all bibliophiles and gaming aficionados.

PIRANESI BY SUSANNA CLARKE Piranesi is a novel based on the works of Giovanni Piranesi, who created drawings of complex and stunning prisons. Piranesi is a man who knows the labyrinth-like house well. He spends his time exploring and documenting while searching for “A Great and Secret Knowledge.” His quest for this knowledge will change his perception of “the House,” “The Other,” himself and the world he inhabits. It is a clever, mind-bending read.

– Mrs. Tuck

LONG WAY DOWN BY LUCINDA DYER Have you ever had to really think about something? What if you’re off on your way to do something that will be life changing, and you are forced to consider your options due to being stuck in traffic or just waiting for the moment to arrive? According to its Amazon review, “Long Way Down is New York Times bestselling-author Jason Reynolds’ electrifying novel that takes place in 60 potent seconds— the time it takes a kid to decide whether or not he’s going to murder the guy who killed his brother.” As someone who is a slow reader, this was the fastest I have ever read a book, which is only one of the reasons why I suggested it for you. The story itself has merited several awards with due cause. As ghosts from his past join him and bring their own experiences to light in face of this decision he must make, we follow 15-year-old Will on his elevator ride out of his building on the way to confront the person he believes killed his older brother. The review mentioned earlier concludes: “told in short, fierce staccato narrative verse, Long Way Down is a fast and furious, dazzlingly brilliant look at teenage gun violence,” and it grips the reader all the way to the end. I highly recommend this quick and powerful read that stayed with me long after I closed the book.

– Mrs. Messinger